Unrequited Love
by redheadedsweetheart
Summary: Leland & Millie have known each other their entire lives. Since they were teens, they have been in love with each other. Eventually he marries someone else & she still loves him. She decides to move away. Will she find love? Leland Chapman/Matt Hardy/OC
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: This is pure fiction I DO NOT own anyone in this story except my OC (Amelia)

Summary: Leland and Amelia have known each other their entire lives. No one knows each other as well as these two do. They dated briefly in high school, but they broke up after a few years. Leland has moved on, but has never fully given up on Amelia, who struggles with every relationship in her life because of Leland. This is their story

**Chapter 1**

"Millie...tell me. I want to hear you say it," Leland murmured huskily into Amelia's ear while he still kept his pace slow and teasing. "Please tell me, baby..." he trailed off as his lips left her ear and traveled down her neck.

Amelia threw her head back in pleasure; he knew how to get all of her special spots. This man was magic. "Leland..." she whispered as his mouth and his hands both moved down to her breasts, slowly teasing her as he looked up at her, "Tell me..." he growled.

"I love you, Leland," she breathed heavily as she got her wish and his expert tongue started to tease her and his quickened his pace.

"Tell me again," he groaned as his quickened his pace even more; he wasn't going to last much longer and he needed to hear her say it again. "Tell me I'm the only one," he growled.

"The...only one...oh God...Leland. You're the only one!" she cried out as she got her release. He smirked down at her before he slammed into her a few more times and got his own sweet release. He collapsed on her; his sweaty forehead resting on her chest.

"Good girl..." he mumbled as he rolled off of her and pulled her close to his side. Still breathing hard, he glanced over at the bedside alarm clock. Shit, he thought to himself. He was going to have to leave pretty soon and head home.

Amelia closed her eyes and leaned her head on his chest. She lived for moments like this; when everything was right in her messed up world. All she ever wanted to do was love Leland, to be with him, to share his life with him. She wasn't stupid, though; she knew they could never be together. He had made certain decisions in his life that would always keep them apart.

**Amelia's POV**

My name is Amelia Carson and I'm in love with my best friend. Normally this wouldn't be a big deal, except, my best friend Leland is married and I've been sleeping with him. I know I should feel horrible about this, but I don't. I'm head over heels in love with him and he knows it. What we're doing together is wrong, but neither of us tries to put a stop to it.

I've known Leland my entire life. Our fathers are best friends and our families spent a lot of time together over the years. Leland used to tease me mercilessly during our summer camping trips until one summer he abruptly stopped. That's when I knew he had fallen in love with me. I lost my virginity to him that summer; I was only 15. I've been addicted to him ever since.

A few years ago he married a girl he met in Hawaii. The only reason he had married her in the first place was because he had gotten her pregnant. If the baby hadn't come along, I'm certain that we would be together. But until the day when she leaves him; I'll just have to wait. Every time we see each other, he promises that he's going to leave her soon. But I'm not stupid; he's not going to leave her. He wants his cake and he wants to eat it too. I'm just something to do when he's in town or when he's feeling lonely; but that doesn't stop me from loving him. I can't stop, Lord I've tried, but I can't stop loving Leland Chapman.

I've tried everything to stop, but nothing seems to work. I've tried avoiding his calls; he just calls more often and leaves desperate voice-mails. I've tried shutting the door in his face when he stops by; but he flashes those brown eyes and I melt. I tried telling him that what we're doing is wrong; but he smirks at me and then kisses me gently and I forget everything I was saying. I've tried dating other men; but no one can compare to him. Hell, I even tried moving out of town so he couldn't find me; but he always does. And the worst part is about this whole mess, is that if he didn't try to find me, if he didn't call me constantly, if he didn't keep track of me, I would die inside. I need Leland. He's my life.

My sister Katie has tried to be supportive of my 'relationship' with Leland; she really had. But lately, I've noticed that she's not as patient with me as she used to be. "Amelia, he's married. You need to let go," she said gently to me one night while we were sitting at our favorite bar enjoying a glass of wine. She had been living in North Carolina for a few months now, but she still occasionally came back to Colorado to visit me and the rest of the family.

I shook my head, "No. I can't do that. I love him and he loves me too," I insisted. But deep down, I knew what I kept doing with Leland was wrong. Katie leaned forward, her big blue eyes silently begging me to give him up.

"I want you to move to North Carolina with me," she said gently. She put up her hand, "Now before you even start saying, I can't, you know you can. You can write anywhere and you know this. I think it's time for you to leave Colorado; start somewhere new."

I shook my head. "I know what you're trying to do; you're only trying to make me leave Colorado so I won't be here when Leland come here-"

"That's not what I'm trying to do at all, Millie," she interrupted me. "I just think that maybe it would beneficial for you to go out on your own for a while, live life without being constantly reminded of wanting what you know you can't have."

I thought about this for a second. If I left Colorado Springs, the chances of me being able to be with Leland would decrease dramatically. "I don't know," I whispered, biting on my bottom lip.

"Please think about it? I've been in North Carolina for a few months now, and I really like it. I met some people out there, and they're really cool. I think you would like it. Do you honestly want to sit here and wait for him to leave her? Because you know, you have to know somewhere deep down inside, that he's not going to leave her and that he's just using you."

I stared at her for a minute. Then it hit me, she was right. He was using me. He only called me up when he was in town because he wanted to fuck. We never left my apartment, because he was afraid of being seen by someone who would report back to his wife that he had been seen with another woman.

"All right," I finally said. "I'll do it."

Katie smiled at me. "To be honest, that was easier than I thought it was going to be," she said with a giggle as she raised her wine glass to me for a toast. "To Amelia's new beginning..." she said with a smile as she took a sip of her wine.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

_**Flashback Amelia's POV**_

_It was the summer I was only 15 years old. I was going to be turning 16 in a few weeks. I was caught in that funny stage between wanting to be a kid and wanting to be treated as a young woman. This weekend was our joint family camping trip with the Chapman family. As usual my dad and Duane were sitting around bullshitting while my mother and Beth chit-chatted about something. Katie had run off somewhere with Duane Lee, leaving me alone with Leland. He had changed since the last time I had seen him. He had shot up at least another two inches, his hair was longer and he was beginning to fill out a little. I was embarrassed that every time that my eyes met his that I would blush._

_Later that first night of camping, our parents were busy sitting around the camp fire telling stories while the 'kids' sat at the picnic table by lantern light and bullshitted. I was sitting next to Leland all night, thankful that in the dark he couldn't see how red my face was right now. Normally he would have been teasing me all day, pulling my hair, chasing me around with bugs, but not this time. This time he was really quiet, almost like he was studying me for some reason. I felt really nervous around him with this new attitude. I was only 15 years old, I wasn't allowed to date until I turned 16, and yet here was this young man, who was almost 18, that had me feeling feelings that I wasn't sure of; why was it that every time his dark brown eyes met mine, I felt like a million butterflies had gathered in my stomach and were fluttering around like crazy?_

_Katie was ignoring me tonight; she was sitting across the table with Duane Lee's arm wrapped around her slender shoulders. Katie had just turned 17 a few weeks ago. Dad must have trusted her with boys more than he trusted me, because all day Dad never said anything about the fact that his 17 year old daughter had captured the attention, and affection, of a 21 year old man._

_I sighed as I watched Duane Lee and Katie together, wondering if I should just go to bed. I felt Leland shift closer to me on the picnic table bench. "Hey..." he drawled quietly in my ear. I involuntarily shivered when I felt his breath so close to my ear. "Let's go for a walk." I turned to look at him, and decided that I had nothing to lose by going for a walk with him; we were just friends anyways. Our families have always been really close, so there was really no reason for me to feel this nervous feeling in the pit of my stomach right now. Right?_

_Leland grabbed a flashlight and we started walking through the dark and quiet campground. I looked back once at my parents laughing and talking at the campfire with Duane and Beth. "They won't even know we left," he said quietly as his hand slipped into mine. Once again, that fierce blush crept onto my face, and once again I was thankful that it was dark out so he couldn't see it._

_We walked for a while, before we came upon a trail. I stopped walking; I didn't really want to walk down a dark trail, I was a little scared, but at the same time, I didn't want Leland to think that I was a big scaredy cat. He tugged on my hand a little bit and I kept walking with him. He wasn't saying anything right now; in fact, we hadn't talked much since we started walking. Where we going? What were we doing out here in the dark? What did he have on his mind? My anxiety started to build when suddenly he stopped walking and stuck the flashlight in his back pocket. Before I knew what was happening, his hand left mine and both of his hands were cupping my face. "You've gotten so pretty, Millie," he murmured softly before he bent his face down and gently kissed me quickly on the lips. I was shocked; why was he doing this? He had been my 'friend' for so long, where were these feelings coming from? "I've been watching you all day. I..I..," he stuttered before I leaned up and kissed him on the mouth. Where did that come from? Why was I kissing Leland? He had always been so mean to me, and now I was kissing him? I pulled away from him, and even in the dark I could see him smiling. "I knew you felt it too," he whispered._

_He wrapped his long arms around my waist and pulled me closer to him before he captured my mouth in another kiss; this kiss was more urgent, his tongue poked at my lips, asking for entrance. Before I knew what was happening, I parted my lips and let his tongue into my mouth. I could feel a soft groan coming from his throat when I did that. His hands started to wander from my hips and one hand moved to the small of my back, while the other one slowly slid down to my ass, squeezing gently. I wasn't sure what to do with my arms, so I just wrapped them around his neck and played with his hair. He broke the kiss and his lips immediately went to my ear, "Amelia...I want you..." he whispered to me. "I think you want me too..." he whispered before he started kissing my neck and the hand that was on my back started moving to my chest; his hand found my breast and I let out a little gasp of surprise as I felt his fingers start to play with my nipple._

"_You're all right," he whispered as he pulled away from me and tried to see my face in the dark. I nodded as I let him wrap his arms around my waist and lead me further away from the campsite and down the trail. We came upon a clearing and he stopped, he shined the flashlight on a blanket and a small radio. Where did this come from? Had he been planning this all day? "What are we doing here?" I managed to squeak out._

"_I thought we could listen to the radio and look at the stars," he said quietly as he spread out the blanket and then sat down. He motioned for me to come sit next to him. The anxiety that I had been feeling earlier was now in overload; what was I doing with him out here in the dark? What did he have on his mind?_

_I got my answer when he gently pushed on my shoulders so I started to lay down. With wide eyes, I watched him crawl on top of me and start kissing my neck while his hands wandered down to the button on my shorts. I put my hand over his to stop him; his hands moved from my shorts down to my legs, running them up and down. "You're so beautiful," he whispered in my ear. "Tell me, Amelia...are you still a virgin," he asked in my ear. I was too stunned at what was happening to speak so I just nodded. "Do you want me?" he asked as he pulled away and looked down at me._

"_I...I don't know," I stuttered. He smirked at me as his hands moved from my legs and quickly ran over the crotch of my shorts; he smiled as he felt my heat._

"_I think you do..." he said quietly as he fingers moved back up to the button on my shorts. Very quickly he unbuttoned them and slid them off of my hips. Before I knew what was happening, his fingers invaded my panties and were moving slowly down to my center._

"_Leland..." I whispered. His name was the only thing I got out before I let out a squeak of surprise as I felt one of his fingers slip inside me. He looked down at me, "Are you all right?" he asked before he kissed me gently on the mouth, trying to make me forget about the intrusion in my panties right now. "You feel so good. So tight..." trailed off. "I'm going to enjoy this..." he said with a wicked smile as he slid in another finger. It hurt, it hurt but at the same time, it almost felt good._

_He continued to finger me slowly while he kissed my neck and mouth. I ran my fingers through his hair, pulling him closer to me as his thumb occasionally slid over my clit, causing my hips to involuntarily buck at him a little. Every time I did this, he smiled. I could feel his hard member grinding against me. I knew it was time to put an end to this, whatever it was. I couldn't go any further with him. Could I?_

_I didn't get to think about whether or not I wanted to go further with him, because he withdrew his fingers and brought them up to his mouth. I watched with wide eyes as he licked my juices off his fingers and smiled. He slid my panties down my legs and tossed them aside before he unbuttoned his jeans and slid them off of him. He paused to take something out of his pocket. The moonlight hit the package just right, and I saw what it was. It was a condom. My heart started racing faster; I shouldn't be doing this, I kept repeating to myself. I shouldn't, but yet I couldn't stop watching him slide his boxer shorts off and put the condom on his cock._

"_Um..I think we should stop," I whispered meekly as he crawled on top of me and used his hands to push my legs open for him to settle in between._

"_I think we should keep going," he whispered back before he bent his head down and captured my mouth in a passionate kiss. I was going to break the kiss and tell him again that we should stop, when suddenly I felt the worst pain in the world as he slid his hard cock into me. I let out a cry of pain. He stopped moving for a second. "Just wait...it will feel better," he whispered before he started moving again. I could feel something running down my leg; was it blood, I wondered to myself as I tried to ignore the pain that was ripping through me right now._

_He kept repeating my name in my ear as his thrusting became quicker, and seemingly more urgent. I was on fire; I was in so much pain, but I couldn't find the strength to push him off of me or to scream for help. I let him continue. "So beautiful," he kept murmuring into my ear before he thrust one more time, this time was harder than before, it made me cry out in pain._

_Was he finished? Did I really just lose my virginity to him in the middle of the woods? He slid out of me and laid his head on my chest for a second before he lifted his head and brought his face close to mine. "Amelia...Amelia...thank you..." he whispered before he kissed me gently on the mouth._

_Thank you? Why was he thanking me? I was in shock; I still couldn't believe that this had really happened. His moved off of me and pulled me close to his side, kissing the top of my head. "Me and you, baby. It's gonna be me and you," he said quietly as he hugged me tighter._

_**End of Flashback**_


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

**Amelia's POV**

Katie and I walked back to my apartment after a few more glasses of wine; she was chattering away happily about my abrupt decision to move to North Carolina with her. She was right; I really didn't have anything tying me to Colorado Springs. I could write anywhere. The only thing that had been keeping me here so long was that this is where Leland and I kept our 'relationship'. It had been a while since I had heard from him; I usually talked to him at least three or four times a week. I had been six days since he's called or sent me a text.

I unlocked the door to my apartment and moved aside so Katie could come inside. As if he knew that I was thinking about him, my cell phone started beeping with a message from him. I caught Katie's eye. "Is that him," she asked quietly as she sat down on the couch. I nodded. "Are you going to tell him?"

"I don't know..." I lied. I wasn't going to tell him; if I was going to have any chance of breaking away from him, I couldn't tell him where I was going. It would make the break that much easier on me if he didn't know where I was going. I opened his text message.

"_**I want to see you. I'll be in town late tonight, around midnight. Leave the door unlocked for me."**_

"What did it say?" Katie asked with eager eyes.

"Nothing," I quickly lied. Just that he missed me." I wasn't going to tell her that he was going to be in town tonight; she would chastise me for encouraging him. I knew what we were doing together was wrong, but no one but Leland understood how right it felt when we were together.

"I see. So, the place I'm renting is in Cameron, it's got three bedrooms so you can have one to yourself, I have one, and then I use the third bedroom for an office..." she started talking about my living arrangements when I would move in with her. This was all happening so fast, it felt like I was losing control of the situation before it even started.

….

**Third Person POV**

Katie stayed for a couple of more hours before she finally left shortly before 11:30. Amelia shut the door behind her sister and then made a beeline for her bedroom. She had to get ready for Leland. She knew that he would expect her to already be dressed and ready for him. She took her long auburn hair out of her pony tail and shook it free so it hung in soft waves on her shoulders. She hurriedly applied some of Leland's favorite lip gloss and added some mascara to her dark blue eyes. Stripping down, she went over to her dresser to pick out something pretty for him. She debated on whether or not she should wear the white negligee or the red one. She eventually decided on the red one and went over to her closet to pick out a pair of heels to match. He always expected her dressed in something sexy, her hair down, a little bit of make-up on, and some killer heels on her feet when he came to visit her. She knew the routine too well; after all, she had been doing this for him for almost eight years, she knew was expected of her.

She sat down on the bed to wait for him. Finally around quarter after midnight, she heard the front door open and close. She closed her eyes as she heard the sound of the lock clicking on the door and the sound of his heavy bags being dropped by the door. She took a deep breath and reminded herself to breathe while she listened to his heavy footsteps come through her living room and down the hallway to her bedroom.

When she opened her eyes, she was met with his brown eyes looking her up and down in appreciation. "You got my message...good girl..." he growled as he slipped off his boots and jeans. He pulled his t-shirt over his head and Amelia resisted the urge to run her fingertips over his toned abdomen; she would have him close to her in just a matter of seconds. He stopped in front of her, in just his boxer shorts, and lifted her chin with his fingertips. "I missed you, baby..." he whispered as he got down on his knees and gently took her face in his hands and pressed his soft lips to hers. "I missed you so much..."

"I thought you forgot about me. I didn't hear from you in so long," she whispered as she leaned her head on his shoulder.

"I would never forget about you, Millie. It's me and you, remember?" he trailed off as he wrapped his arms around her waist and lifted her on to bed, setting her down in the middle before he crawled on top of her. "Always me and you. No matter what happens right now, one day it's gonna be me and you, baby," he murmured in her ear as his hands started to wander up and down her body. "I love you so much, Millie..."

….

"Damn it, Millie..." Leland panted as he continued to thrust hardly into her, pulling back on her hair for leverage. "You feel so fucking good..." As he continued to slam into her, she bit down on her pillow to muffle her moans. She had missed him so much; she craved his touch when he was gone. Suddenly, he withdrew from her, but before she could whimper in protest of him slipping out of her, he flipped her onto her back, moved her thighs apart, and slammed back into her, causing her to let out a loud moan of pleasure. "Leland..." she whimpered as he continued to thrust deeply into her and his mouth continued to attack her neck.

"Cum for me, baby. I want to hear you scream my name, Millie," he growled into her ear as he started increasing his pace and his hand wandered down to her clit, rubbing it slowly with his thumb. "Do it, baby. I want to hear you..."

Amelia closed her eyes and focused on the immense pleasure that Leland was giving her right now from his hard thrusting and the dirty words he was whispering into her ear. "Leland," she murmured as she felt the beginning of her sweet release building, "Leland," she said softly.

"Open your eyes, Millie," he demanded as he continued to pound into her. His hand left her clit and came up to her breasts; with one quick movement he captured one of her nipples in his grasp and tweaked it softly at first. "Scream my name, baby…." When she didn't say his name, he tweaked it harder, causing her to cry out as the first wave of her orgasm washed over her.

"Leland! God, yes! Leland," she cried out as her cries echoed off the bedroom walls.

"Good girl," he growled as he continued to slam into her, working towards his own release. A few minutes later, while Amelia laid beneath him, whimpering occasionally, he found his release. "Damn it!' he shouted as he slammed into her one more time and then collapsed on top of her. "Love you so fucking much," he mumbled into her breasts. "So fucking much, baby….."

….

**Amelia's POV**

After our love making session, we both drifted off to sleep. There was no better feeling in the world than to have his arms wrapped around me tight while I slept. Even in my sleep, I could feel that anxious feeling of knowing that in a few short hours, he would leave me again and I wouldn't see him for awhile. He had been my obsession for many years; I craved his touch when he was gone. I missed his voice when he didn't call. I missed everything about him, but at the same time I was angry. I was angry because he chose to marry her instead of me. I was angry at myself because I kept this foolish hope alive that he would leave her one day. I was angry with myself, because every time I tried to form a relationship with a new man, Leland would step back into my life and the new relationship would be tossed aside.

My relationship with Leland was a double edged sword; I needed him in my life, but at the same time, his presence in my life was causing me to stand still. I couldn't move forward with my own life, if I was still trying to hold on tightly to the secret life Leland and I had created for each other.

As he had done a million times before, he left me before the sun came up. He was in town for a day or so and had to take care of some business at his Colorado Springs home before he hopped on a flight and flew back to Hawaii to be with her and the kids. I learned a long time ago that whimpering for him to stay doesn't do me any good. All whining does is upset him about how I am making his life difficult because I want what I can't have from him.

"I'll call you soon, baby," he growled in my ear as we stood by my front door. He kissed me deeply on the mouth before he slapped my ass, picked up his bags and walked out of my life again. I watched him walk down the stairs and out the door before I closed the door and leaned against it. I closed my eyes and prayed that one day I would be able to break myself out of this never ending vicious cycle of love, hate and shame that I was up in.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 5**

**Amelia's POV**

Later that morning, around 10:00, my phone rang. It was my mother. "Amelia, darling. The Chapman's are in town and they would like to get together for dinner with us tonight. Since Kathryn is in town, I thought it would be a nice time."

I nodded. I hadn't seen Duane or Beth for a long time; it would be nice to see them again. "Sounds good, mom. What time should I come over to the house?" I listened to my mom prattle on and on about dinner plans for tonight; I couldn't help but wonder if Leland had already flown back to Hawaii or if he was going to be at the dinner party tonight. My mom never mentioned any of Duane and Beth's children, so I assumed it would just be them, my parents and me and my sister.

Katie came over early in the afternoon, her blue eyes sparkling with excitement. "Why are you so giddy?" I asked with a smile as I closed the door behind her. She made herself comfortable on the couch while I grabbed two beers out of the refrigerator. I sat down next to her on the couch, handing her one of the beer bottles.

"Didn't mom tell you?" she asked with a big smile on her face.

I shook my head. "No, what are you talking about?"

"Mom's throwing a dinner party tonight and the Chapman's are going to be there! Do you know how long it's been since I've seen them?"

"Yeah, mom told me that this morning...wait...why are you so excited to see Dog and Beth?" I asked with a confused look on my face. Dog was a nice guy, but nothing to get as worked up about seeing him as Katie was right now.

"Duane Lee," she said quietly as she took a big drink of her beer and then grinned at me ear to ear. I sighed. Katie had had a crush on Duane Lee since she was 13 years old. That summer that I was 15 and she was 17, she had messed around with him a few times, but nothing ever came of it. Not like me and Leland, I thought sadly to myself.

"Oh?" I said with a pretend smile on my face. "Why are you so excited about seeing him? I thought you were dating some guy you met in North Carolina?"

Her pretty face immediately fell, like she had just remembered that she had a boyfriend waiting for her at home. "Oh. Jeff. Yeah. I forgot," she said with a giggle.

"You forgot you had a boyfriend?" I teased her.

She shook her head. "He's not exactly my boyfriend; he's just some guy that I've been seeing. Oh, and the best part? He has a brother!" she squealed as she winked at me.

"I see," I said quietly. I set my beer down on the coffee table. "Well, Miss Katie. We should probably look for something to wear tonight. I'm assuming you didn't bring anything 'dinner party' appropriate," I said with a grimace. Mom had always stressed the importance of looking like a nice young lady when she threw these dinner parties. My mom could be a real stick in the mud sometimes. I'm almost 26 years old, and she still treats me like a teenager.

"Of course, I didn't. I need to borrow something. I need something that's gonna show Duane Lee that I'm a grown woman now and that I mean business!" she said with a giggle. I let out a small laugh thinking about how he would always turn her down because he thought that she was immature and not serious enough for him. He was right though; Katie could be downright immature sometimes. She was flighty if anything. She lived for the moment; she didn't like anything to tie her down, which was why when she suddenly decided to move to North Carolina, my parents didn't bat an eye. They just chalked it up to Katie being a "free spirit".

I, on the other hand, was thought to be a mature woman with a good head on her shoulders. I've been doing freelance writing for several well-known magazines for a while now. I "dated" several prominent young men in the community; mostly just to pacify my parents. No man ever even comes close to comparing to Leland though. I find a reason to fuck up every relationship that I get into, just in case Leland ever decides to leave his wife. I know, it seems pathetic, but it's not, I love Leland and we're meant to be together. Some day.

I could only imagine what my parents, and Dog and Beth for that matter, would think if they knew what Leland and I had been doing together since I was 15 years old. He had been married for close to five years now, but that doesn't stop us. He told me that when they first got married that he didn't really love her; he was only marrying her because she was having his baby. Over the years, I've blocked out the fact that he was sleeping with someone besides me, thus resulting in a child. I'm sure if I think about it hard enough, I can pinpoint a time in our 'relationship' where we were on a 'break'. Yes, I'm making excuses for Leland; I always have and probably always will.

We were finally ready to head over to mom and dad's house by six o'clock that night. We were technically supposed to be there at 5:30, but we liked to be fashionably late. Katie had borrowed a knee length black skirt that twirled when she walked, a pink camisole and a pink cardigan. She almost looked...normal. But then I saw that she had on knee length black leather boots with killer heels that had a heart on the back of each boot and breathed a sigh of relief; she was still Katie.

I finished brushing my auburn hair up into a messy bun and checked my reflection. I looked all right, I guess. I had on a knee length khaki skirt and a black sleeveless top. I slipped on my favorite pair of black stilettos while Katie waited out in the living room. I was a little nervous, and I couldn't quite place why.

I got my answer for the reason of my anxiety when I pulled up into my parents' driveway and my heart almost stopped beating. Leland was here. With his wife.

"Millie, what's wrong?" Katie whispered in my ear as we stood on the front steps of our parents' house.

"Katie, look….." I whispered back as I watched Leland open the car door for his wife and then opened up the backseat to lift his son out of his car seat.

"Millie, we have to go inside. Don't worry about; I won't let anything bad happen tonight," she whispered as she squeezed my hand gently and led me inside.

Mom and Beth were standing in the living room when Katie and I came inside. "Girls. It's about time you got here," mom said with a tense smile on her face. I was about to give her an excuse as to why we were late when the front door opened again and Leland and his wife came inside. For a second I forgot how to speak because my eyes had met Leland's brown eyes. I could feel him mentally undressing me in front of everyone. It took all of my strength not to walk over there, push his wife out of the way and jump on him.

"Sorry, mom. We were having troubles finding something to wear. Is there something I can help you with in the kitchen," I finally said quickly as I broke Leland's gaze and started walking towards the kitchen.

I could hear mom apologizing for my abrupt behavior in the living room. I didn't really care if I was rude in there; my heart was literally breaking in two. How could he be here right now? Why didn't he mention something late last night when he was in bed with me? How dare he bring her within ten feet of me?

I must have been deep within my own thoughts because I honestly did not hear someone walk up behind me and slap me on the ass. I was about to turn around and hit someone, but I stopped when I saw who it was. Instead of screaming, I let out a little yelp of surprise and threw my arms around Duane Lee's neck. It had been so long since I had seen him; it was good to see him again. "Well, hey there hot stuff. How are you doing?" he asked with a big cheesy smile.

"I'm all right," I answered softly as I heard Leland laughing in the living room. Duane Lee must have sensed that Leland's very presence here was bothering me. Well, it wasn't bothering me that he was here; it was bothering me that he had brought her here.

"Nah, you aren't all right and you know it. Let me guess…your dog died?" he asked as he tried to hold back a smile.

"I don't have a dog," I replied, determined not to let him make me smile. I was too pissed off right now.

"Um. Ok. Did…Ah, hell. I know why," he said quietly. "I was going to try and be funny, but obviously it wouldn't have worked. Sorry. If it makes you feel any better, the rest of us didn't know that she was coming with either," he said softly as he reached out to touch my shoulder. It was that exact moment that Duane Lee touched my shoulder, that Leland came into the kitchen alone.

"What the fuck?" he growled softly as he took a step towards his brother.

"Hey, man, calm down. It was nothing," Duane Lee said quietly, trying to keep his brother from causing a scene and blowing the secret relationship he had with me.

"Keep your hands off my girl," Leland hissed at him before he turned his glare to me.

"Why don't you keep your hands on your wife, Leland," Duane Lee retorted back.

Leland was about to open his mouth to defend himself, but his wife came into the kitchen before he could get the words out. "Honey, did you get my water?" she asked in that nasally voice of hers. I hated her, I really did. I know it's wrong to hate someone in general, probably even worse to hate someone that you don't even know, but I hated her.

I hated her tiny body, her big boobs and perfect ass. I hated her long black hair and tanned skin. I hated her dark brown eyes and her full pink lips. I hated the fact that she had a huge diamond ring on her finger instead of me. I hated the fact that she slept by Leland's side all night and that he didn't have to get up and leave in the middle of the night. I hated the fact that she trapped him with a child and marriage. Leland was supposed to be with me. He had always promised that it was going to be me and him. What right did she have to take that away from me?


	5. Chapter 5

It was hard to sit through dinner with Leland casting seductive glances at me like he had been. Luckily, no one, especially his wife, had noticed but me. He was sitting directly across from me, and every once in a while his foot would touch mine and I'd look up and blush. Thankfully no one noticed my constant blushing. This was absolute torture sitting this close to him and not being able to touch him like I wanted to.

After half an hour, I couldn't take it anymore. I caught Leland's eye briefly and then excused myself to the restroom, knowing that in a minute or two, he would find some excuse to leave the table as well and we could have a few stolen minutes alone. I had gone to the guest bathroom on the other side of the house, closed the door and waited. I knew Leland so well; not even two minutes later, the bathroom door opened and he came inside, pushing me against the closed door and covering my mouth with his while my hands went to the back of his neck to pull him closer to me.

"I need you so bad, baby," he mumbled into my ear as his hands started to wander to the hem of my skirt and start lifting from the back. I knew we didn't have enough time to get in a quick fuck session before someone at the table noticed that we were both gone for longer than necessary. "Not right now," I mumbled back as I leaned my head back in pleasure as his hot lips met my neck.

He pulled away from me slightly and rested his head on my chest; I was certain he could hear how fast my heart was racing right now. "Tonight," he said. It wasn't a question or even a request; it was more like he was either stating a fact or making a demand. I knew him well enough to know that he was making a demand. And unfortunately, I knew myself well enough to know that I would cast aside any self-esteem that I had left and meet his demand. This would not be the first time that I would ever wonder why I let him do this to me. "Come by around midnight," I whispered as I gave him one last lingering kiss before I pushed him away gently and exited the bathroom, making sure to smooth out my skirt before I made it back into the dining room.

I took my seat next to Katie and tried to focus on the conversation. I tried like hell to ignore the questioning glance that his wife gave Leland when he came back to the table a minute or so after I arrived. My mother was staring at me; why? "Amelia. Are you going to answer my question?" she said gently, not wanting to cause a scene in front of our company.

"I...I'm sorry, mom. I must not have heard you..." I stuttered lamely.

"Kathryn was just telling us that you had agreed to move to North Carolina with her; when do you think you'll be leaving?" she asked with a smile on her face, probably grateful that I was going to be around my 'free-spirited' sister. Mother probably was hoping that I would be able to give her some stability. I was about to answer mom when I accidentally caught Leland's eye; I could tell right away that he was not impressed with my idea of moving. Especially since I hadn't said anything to him about it before.

"Actually, I think I'll be leaving at the end of the month. I need to...tie up some loose ends here with work and then I should be set," I said slowly. I can't believe Katie had opened her mouth about my agreeing to move in with her; I had just agreed to do this yesterday, it's not like I had an actual plan in place. Plus, more importantly, I hadn't discussed this with Leland at all...

"Millie, you will love it in Cameron; I've made a bunch of new friends out there that I'm sure you will love," Katie gushed as she started rambling on about how much fun the party life was out in North Carolina. Of course she censored her bragging a little bit for mom and dad's benefit. There was no need for them to know just how much of a 'free-spirit' she really was.

"Well, Amelia. Maybe you'll finally find a nice young man to finally settle down with," Duane said with a big smile on his face. I tried to return the smile to my dad's best friend and also tried hard to ignore the glare I was receiving from Leland right now. "We all know Katie's not in the market for a husband, but from what your pops was telling me the other day, it sounded like you were."

Everyone at the table laughed softly as they thought about the differences between me and my sister. If they only knew, I thought solemnly to myself; if they only fucking knew what Leland and I had been up to over the past few years. "I actually don't think I'm ready to settle down just yet either. I've been really focused on my writing career lately and I'd like to see what I can do with that before I make any major commitments," I replied slowly.

"Are there any men in your life right now? I talk to your mom all the time and she never mentions a boyfriend or anything like that. A pretty girl like you must have lots of offers for dates," Beth chimed in. I seriously wanted to fly across the table and hit her. She had no idea how awkward she was making this right now for me.

"I've dated a few here and there..." I said softly, feeling a bright blush climbing onto my cheeks as I stared down at my plate. I couldn't look up right now; because then I would be looking at Leland and I would have to endure the look of jealousy on his face right now.

"She goes out on dates, but none of them must be special enough to bring home yet. Isn't that right, kitten?" my dad asked gently as he gave me a wink. "No need to rush into anything; you focus on what's right for you right now and the rest will just fall into place when the time is right," dad finished with a smile.

"Good advice," Duane agreed as he raised his glass in mock toast to my dad.

.

.

The rest of the evening went surprisingly well; I managed to not get caught into any more awkward conversations about my non-existent love life and I said good night to everyone around nine o'clock and headed back to my apartment. Leland would be over in a few short hours and I knew we would have a lot to talk about.

Twelve fifteen rolled around before I finally heard the click of the door lock and he showed up. I was sitting on the couch completely wrapped up in a good book that I was reading when he came into the living room. He looked surprised that I wasn't lying in bed waiting for him. "When were you going to tell me," was the first thing he asked when he sat down in a chair across the room from me. I could tell that he wasn't pleased with me at all.

"I actually just decided that I was going to move last night," I said quietly, not wanting to start an argument with him.

"You could have told me when I saw you then," he retorted.

"What difference would it really make, Leland. You aren't going to leave her-" was all I got out before he interrupted me.

"Don't tell me what I am and what I am not going to do, Millie. You know better than to assume things," he said hotly.

"I'm not going to argue with you tonight, Leland. It's really not worth it," I whispered back.

He got off the chair and crossed the room and sat down beside me on the couch. "I promise that one day, it's going to be me and you. You know that, baby. It's just that right now, the kid is so young and I don't want to leave her and mess him all up...surely you understand?" he whispered as he took one of my hands in his and looked at me with his dark brown eyes, begging me to understand what he was going through right now.

"How long am I going to be second best?" I mumbled as I broke our gaze.

"You're not second best, Millie, you know that..." he whispered as he moved a lock of hair out of my face. "Things are just complicated right now."

"Yeah, things are complicated; that's why I decided to move in with Katie..."

"I don't understand why you would want to do that, baby...we have something good going on here in Colorado. Why do you want to change things up?" he murmured as he started placing light kisses along my jawline.

"This is something I need to do..."

"Hmm...you're right, I don't think we should argue tonight, I think we should make the best of the time that we have together right now..." he mumbled as his kisses started to wander down my neck and he shifted his weight so he was almost laying on top of me. "We'll worry about it another day. Right now? We need to finish what we started in the bathroom earlier," he said with a wink as he started to unbutton my skirt...

.

.

"Millie, baby...I don't want you to move so far away...it's gonna be too hard to see each other," Leland murmured into my ear while we laid in my bed, wrapped up in each others arms. It was past two in the morning; I briefly wondered what excuse he had given his wife for being away from her so long so late at night. It didn't really matter because I really didn't care.

"I know...but I think this is something that I need to do..." I mumbled into his chest. "It might be time for me to move on, Leland."

He pulled away from me and his face turned into a hard glare. "What are you talking about, Millie? Are you thinking of breaking it off with us?" he growled softly as he moved farther away from me.

Inside I knew the answer was yes, I needed to get away from him. I needed to start to live my own life, instead of waiting for him to leave her. But I didn't want him to leave me... "Of course not," I lied quickly reaching a hand out for him.

Instead of coming back to bed with me, he abruptly got off the bed and started to put his clothes back on; was he leaving? "Leland? Why are you upset with me?" I asked meekly.

"Really, Millie? You just lied to me. You're leaving Colorado to try and get away from me," as he pulled his jeans up to his hips and buttoned them. "Why are you lying to me? Did you really think that I wouldn't realize what you were doing?" he sneered at me as he pulled his t-shirt over his head and crawled back onto the bed. Reaching out, he grabbed my chin in his hand and put his face close to mine. "I told you a long time ago Amelia, that it was going to be you and me and no one else. Things didn't go according to plan so far, but that's no reason to give up one me," he whispered angrily. "No one, and I mean no one, is ever going to love you as much as I do. No one," he finished quietly as he kissed me hard on the mouth and then jumped off the bed.

I sat there in silence, wondering what the hell had just happened. I heard the sound of the door shut before I laid down; he had left me. With a warning...

.

.

It's been almost two weeks since I've heard from Leland. He isn't returning my messages and he hasn't made any attempt to contact me at all. This was breaking my heart; we've had arguments before, but never for this long. I missed him.

Today is the day that I'm leaving for North Carolina to start a new chapter in my life. My parents dropped me off at the airport; my belongings were being shipped to me later today. I hugged my parents good-bye and promised to call if I needed anything.

As I waited in the terminal, I kept looking around for Leland, hoping he had had a change of heart and was going to show up here, begging me to stay. In my daydream, he also tells me that he had left his wife and wanted to marry me. Sadly, this was just a daydream, I knew that this was never going to happen. I kept reminding myself that I was doing the right thing by moving far away from him. It was time to move on.

.

.

My flight landed in North Carolina late in the afternoon. Katie was waiting for me at the baggage claim area with an...interesting looking guy. I guess interesting is the most accurate word for him right now. She introduced him as a 'friend' of hers. I knew my sister well enough to know that this guy was more than just a friend. His name was Jeff and he lived close by. He was actually a fairly good looking guy; I estimated him to be around maybe 30 years old, he had deep green eyes and longer blonde hair. Did I mention that his blonde hair was streaked with multiple colors of red, green, blue and purple? Yeah, that's where the 'interesting' part comes into play. He was a nice guy though, I really did like his deep southern accent. He also seemed very taken with my sister.

About an hour later, Jeff dropped us off at the house that Katie was renting for the time being. I thanked Jeff politely for the ride and I noticed the look that he shot my sister while I got out of the car. Why did I have the bad feeling that they were conspiring against me? I would get my answer soon enough.

It was my third day of living in North Carolina before I finally heard from Leland. It was just a short text message that asked me if I had changed my mind about leaving Colorado. I sent him a message back that said that I had already moved and that I missed him. I didn't get a message back.

Ever since that text from him late last night, I had been moping around the house, lost in my own thoughts and driving Katie nuts. "Millie, please stop pacing!" she cried as I walked past her one more time. "I know why you're all upset, I don't understand why exactly, but I know why. And I think you need to...just get over it and move on."

I stopped my pacing. "Just get over it?" I asked.

"Yes. Just stop. It's over; in fact, it was over before it even started. Honey, he's married. He's not going to leave her. You must know that," she said softly. I nodded and sat down on the couch next to her and laid my head on her shoulder. "I don't like seeing you moping around all day. It's time for you to get out of this house and start living again. Without him."

I nodded again. "But what if I don't know how to live without Leland?" I whispered as I wiped some stray tears away from my cheeks.

"You'll learn," she said softly as she played with my hair. "Just give it time and eventually you'll learn..."


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

**Leland's POV**

It had been two weeks since I had heard from her. I had sent her a message asking her again if she was sure that she wanted to move so far away from me. The last message I got from her was a text saying that she had already moved to North Carolina. And that she missed me. Missed me? Missed me! If she missed me so bad she would have just stayed where she belonged—in Colorado, waiting for me.

Amelia and I had been 'together' for about eight and a half years now. I took her virginity in the woods when she was only fifteen years old. I knew what I was doing; I was a few weeks shy of turning eighteen and starting to become a 'real man' according to my father. Real men go after what they want, he always told me. So when I saw Amelia that weekend, I took what I wanted. I wanted her long auburn hair wrapped around my fingers. I wanted her big dark blue eyes to look at me in wonder and shock. I wanted her long tan legs wrapped around my waist. I wanted her pert little bottom perched on my lap. I wanted Amelia Carson and I wanted all of her.

She had changed from the awkward kid that I had known all of my life. The unruly red hair had straightened out some and had gone from bright red to a pretty auburn color. The braces had come off. The skinny and lanky body she had had as a child and preteen was beginning to fill out in all of the right places. She was becoming a woman. I wanted to help her get there anyway that I could. When I took her virginity that night, she only told me to 'stop' once. When I kept going and she didn't protest, I took that as a sign that she wanted me as much I had wanted her.

When it was all over, and I was laying on top of her shaking body, sweating and breathing hard, I told her that it was always going to be me and her. She had just accepted that as a fact; that we would always be together, that there was always going to be a me and her and there wasn't anything that either of us could do to stop it. I don't get it though. Why now? Why eight years later does she think that something has changed and that she can just walk away from me? Why does she think that she can just walk away from 'us'?

Yeah, I've made some interesting choices over the years. I knocked up a one night stand I met in Honolulu and ended up having to marry her. Kiana knew what she had been doing the first night she met me. She knew who I was and what I was all about and where I was going in life. So she sunk her long red claws into me and intended to never let go. Six weeks after our one night stand she tracked me down. She actually showed up at the bail bonds office and announced, in front of everyone, that she was pregnant. By me. As soon as we were able, I dragged her to the medical center to get a DNA test done on that baby boy. He was mine. Amelia was crushed when I had to tell her the news.

My father is an honorable, stand-up guy. He insisted that I marry her right away and be a father to Kiana's love child. I didn't want to do that. I wanted to be back on the mainland. I wanted to be hunting down bad guys and hauling them in to jail. I wanted to be making a ton of money while I did what I loved. I wanted to be a free man. I wanted to be as wild and crazy as I could be. I wanted to be with Amelia. She was heartbroken when she found out from my sister Lissa that I was going to be marrying someone else. I didn't have enough balls to tell her myself. She still waited around for me though. Six months into my marriage I was in Colorado and gave her a call. It only took half an hour of conversation before we were in bed together.

Amelia. Millie. MY Millie. She left me. She finally left me. She had threatened to break it off with me before. Oh man did she ever threaten. Did she ever follow through though? Never. She would go out on dates with other guys. I would hear about it from my dad or Beth after they talked to the Carson's. All it took was one text message from me about it and the next thing you know, Amelia had broken up with her new boyfriend and was back where she belonged. Waiting for me to come back for her. Even it could only be for a couple of hours, maybe an entire day, she would be waiting for me. A long time ago I promised her that one day me and her could be together. She always said that she would hold me to that.

This was something new though. This was something that she had never tried before. We were caught up in a vicious cycle that was never going to end. I was never going to let it end. I liked our arrangement. I like the fact that I can basically have my cake and eat it too. I have a doting wife. Kiana had actually turned into a pretty decent wife. As long as I gave her what she wanted that is. And I had a girlfriend on the side on the mainland. Was she my actual 'girlfriend'? The hell if I know. All I know is that what me and Amelia had, worked. It worked for us for over eight years. Who the hell was she to try and end that now? She did all of this without even thinking about talking to me about it first. And then when I finally hear about it, and confront her about it, she tries to lie to me. She tries to tell me that no, she isn't trying to break it off with me. She loves me. I'm holding her to that.

She's been gone for two weeks now. She got drunk with her sister Katie one night and made a rash decision that she couldn't back out of no matter how much she tried to back pedal with me about it. The fact remains that she decided that she was done with me and that she was moving. Out of state. Without me. I don't know where she lives. I know the city and state she lives in—Cameron, North Carolina. And the only reason I know that is because she is living with her sister right now. She hasn't changed her cell phone number yet. I know this because her mother would have called me and given me her new number right away. You see, according to both sets of our parents, me and Amelia are just really good childhood friends. None of them know that we've been fucking on the sly for the past eight and a half years. They have no idea that we're in love and that one day I promised her that we would be together. They have no idea that **I'm **the **only one** that is ever going to be good enough for Millie. No one is ever going to compare to me. She can try and replace me all she wants, but it's never going to happen.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

**Amelia's POV**

It's been almost three weeks and he still hasn't called or sent me a text. He must be mad at me yet. I talked to my mother last night and waited for her to say something, anything, about the Chapmans and their children. The only thing she said was that they were very busy in Hawaii and wouldn't have the chance to come back to Colorado to visit for a while. She made no direct mention of Leland. My heart sank a little when I realized that he hadn't left his wife and called my parents in a frantic middle of the night call expressing his undying love for me.

Not that he would have ever done that anyways. No one, except Katie and Duane Lee, knew about what Leland and I had been up to over the years.

The past three weeks have been interesting, I guess. Katie is renting a house in a city called Cameron and she pretty much comes and goes and does what she wants. I've tried nailing down several times what kind of work she actually does, or how she spends her time when she isn't home, but I haven't gotten a straight answer from her.

Her current boyfriend's name is Jeff. He's a lot like Katie—a free spirited individual. They seem to have a lot of fun together. Of course their 'fun' usually happens at three in the morning when I'm trying to sleep. I forgot how difficult it is to live with her. I think I've gotten her routine down though. Jeff will come by the house around nine o'clock to pick her up. He'll yell up the stairs to her to hurry the hell up, he's ready to go. She'll yell back down to shut up and sit down and wait for her. I've offered to go upstairs and relay the message to her, or vice versa, but he always gives me a wink and says not worry about it; he's got my sister under control. Yeah right. I have never seen a man have Katie 'under control'.

After about half an hour of waiting, she finally comes downstairs and is ready to go. I don't know where they go or what they're doing. She knows that I am still moping around thinking about Leland, so she doesn't ask me to go anywhere with them. She knows me well enough to know that I won't relax in this new city until I hear from Leland. Are we still together? I don't know. Were we ever really together? Again, I don't know. I haven't heard from him in three weeks. He asked me if I was sure that I wanted to move so far away from him. I already told him that I had moved and that I missed him. I haven't heard a peep out of him since then. Throughout our entire relationship, I have never initiated the first contact. It was always him. After the night that he took my virginity in the woods, he declared himself to be the dominant one in our 'relationship'. I waited for his calls. I waited for his texts. I waited for his soft knocks on my front door after midnight. I waited for him to decide when he was ready to leave his wife.

I had a funny feeling that if stayed here, so far away from him, that I would never hear from him again. I knew how he could hold a grudge. And at this point in my life, after being with him for so long, I don't know if I want him to hold a grudge against me. After everything we had been through together, I still loved him. Leland Chapman was still my whole world. I didn't know how to move on from something like that.

I have a feeling that Katie had told her boyfriend Jeff everything about me. Not that I minded, but my relationship with Leland, whatever it was, was private. I didn't want anyone to meddle in it. I wanted Leland back. I wanted him all to myself. My sister, and her boyfriend apparently, thought that I should be able to move on from Leland and date other people.

It was Friday night about 8:30. I was sitting on the couch, laptop on my lap, tapping out my latest freelance project when the doorbell rang. Before I was able to get up and answer the door, it opened and in walked Jeff with another guy. Trying to hold back my sigh of frustration, I put my computer aside and stood up to greet them. "Katie's upstairs. I didn't know you were going out tonight. She didn't say anything," I said as I stood in front of them awkwardly.

"Oh, we're not going out tonight. We're staying in," Jeff said with a big grin on his face. He poked his friend in the side. It wasn't until Jeff cleared his throat that I noticed that his friend had been looking in my direction. Long dark hair, dark sunglasses covered his eyes and he had a built physique. All he needed was dark eyes and he would look just like Leland. My chest tightened a little when I said his name in my head.

I was going to introduce myself to Jeff's friend when Katie came bounding down the stairs. "Jeff!" she squealed as she ran across the room into her boyfriend's arms. You would think that they hadn't seen each other in weeks the way they were holding on to each other right now. His friend stood awkwardly by them, leaning against the door. Every once in a while he would look my way. He had finally taken his sunglasses off. He had dark, dark brown eyes. Just like my Leland…..

.

.

"Girl, I think you had enough," my new friend chuckled in my ear as he put an arm around my waist in an attempt to hold me upright. I just giggled in response and laid my head on his chest. I closed my eyes and listened to his heartbeat.

Katie had introduced me to Jeff's friend after a few awkward minutes of standing around in the living room. His name was Matt and he was Jeff's brother. He also lived in Cameron in a house that he owned. Apparently Jeff was as free spirited as Katie was and had moved in with his brother a few months ago. It sounded like he had no intentions of leaving either. Hearing more and more about Jeff's personal life made me realize how much he and my sister were alike. No wonder they liked spending so much time together.

Instead of moping around and pining for Leland all night, I ended up joining Katie, Jeff and his brother Matt in the garage for a night of Rummy 500 and having drinks. It was well past one in the morning now and I was starting to see double. I haven't drank like this in a long time; I usually just have a glass of wine or two and call it a night. Once in a great while, when Leland was over, I would take a few sips of his whiskey.

Oh, my God….Leland…I had been having such a good time tonight that I had almost forgot about him. Almost. He was always lurking somewhere in my mind. "You want another drink or you want to go inside?" Matt was talking to me. I should pay attention to him. What I really wanted to do, in my drunken state, was call Leland and demand to know why he's acting the way he is right now.

Moving slightly away from Matt, I swayed heavily in the process and he caught me in his big arms. He chuckled. "I think you've had enough….Let me help you to bed…"


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 9

"Girl, are you a lightweight when it comes to drinking," my new friend asked with a laugh as he wrapped one of his strong arms around my waist and helped me stand up straight.

"Yep, I think so," I said with a giggle. "Katie!" I yelled over to my sister. There was no need for me to yell; she was sitting on the couch with Jeff less than five feet away from me.

"What?" she hollered back with a big smile on her face.

"I think….I think I'm going to bed," I mumbled with a hiccup. "I think I might have had too much to drink tonight."

Jeff laughed. "There's your problem right there, girl. You think too much! Did you have a good time tonight? I think this is the first time I've seen you let your hair down," he drawled as he snuggled up closer to my sister.

I felt around for the arm of the other couch and attempted to lean against it. "What are you talking about?" I said.

"Every time I've seen you before it seems like you're moping around for some reason," he was about to continue talking, but Katie put her hand on his leg and leaned over to whisper something in his ear.

"I'm not moping…." I started to say but the room started spinning.

Before I fell over completely, Matt's strong arms grabbed me. "Hey….." he said softly in my ear as he stood my upright. "Let's get you to bed." I wasn't feeling so hot at this point so I wasn't going to argue with him. I waved good night to Katie and Jeff and we made our way back into the house.

The short walk back to the house was quiet for a moment until I heard it. I heard that tone from my phone that made my heart skip a beat for the past eight years. It was him. I followed Matt into the back door that brought us into the kitchen. As soon as I got inside the kitchen, I pushed Matt, who was still supporting me, gently away and pulled my phone out of my pocket.

_Call me._

That was all his message said. My heart started beating a mile a minute. He wanted me to call him. Leland wanted me to call him! It's been three weeks since we've been in contact. This text message was a relief to me but it also made me curious. He never told me to call him; he always called me. Throughout our entire 'relationship' he has been the one who has initiated contact, meaning I never called him. He always called me. I wanted to think more about this, but Matt gently took my arm again and started leading me through the kitchen and up the stairs to my bedroom.

Matt moved his hand from my arm and took my hand in his. I tried to give him a smile, but it was hard to do when all I could think of was that Leland had finally made contact with me. Was this the end of the silent treatment he had been giving me or was he telling me to call him so he could break it off with me completely? The same feelings of uneasiness and curiosity about 'us' that I have had for the past eight years kept coming back to me.

We made it to my bedroom door and I stopped. Shaking the cobwebs and thoughts of Leland out of my mind, I tried to focus on the situation in front of me right now with Matt. He opened my bedroom door. Did he think he was coming to bed with me? I hope I hadn't given him that vibe tonight. I just met him a few hours ago, had a few laughs and the most touching we had done with another involved him trying to help hold me up because I had one too many. "Here you go," he said quietly as he fumbled around the wall to find the light switch. He found it, turned the light on and took my hand to lead me into my room.

What did he have on his mind? If he was Leland, my clothes would already be halfway off….Oh, God, Leland. I have to call him. But I can't do with Matt here with me. "Thank you," I said quietly as I walked across the room and sat down on the edge of my bed. To my dismay, instead of saying good night and just leaving, Matt came further inside the room and actually sat down next to me on the edge of the bed.

"Are you going to be ok if I leave you here, or do you want me to go down and get Katie?" he asked as he started to rub my lower back. I forced myself not to shiver. No other man has ever touched me except Leland like this. Despite my demands to myself to not let myself react to Matt's touch, I found myself shivering and moving a little closer to him. I noticed the small smile that formed on his face when I did that.

I was about to respond, but my phone beeped with another new message. I froze a brief second before I pulled it out of my pocket and looked at the screen.

_I told you to call me._

He must have noticed the shocked look on my face. "Everything all right?" he asked as moved away from me just an inch or two. I nodded my head. I had to get Matt to leave and call Leland before he changes his mind and gives me the silent treatment again. In my alcohol induced haze right now, nothing was more important than talking to him; to be reassured that he still wanted me even though I betrayed him and moved so far away from him. I thought that by moving away and not speaking with him, I would be able to quit him. I don't think I will ever able to able to quit Leland Chapman. Not willingly anyways, I thought as my phone beeped again.

_Quit playing hard to get and call me._

"I need to make a phone call," I said quickly, suddenly very afraid that Leland was going to blow up on me when I did call him back if I didn't do it right now.

A look of surprise and confusion crossed Matt's face. Obviously this isn't what he had in mind for the end of our night. "Oh. All right…..Are you sure everything is ok?" he asked again in a soft southern drawl. "You seem a little on edge since your phone started going off….."

I forced myself to smile. "Everything is fine," I said as I got off the bed and he did the same. He followed me to the door.

"I had a good time tonight," he said softly as he placed a hand on my shoulder. "I'd like to see you again," he said with a smile.

"I'd like that," I responded as the words tumbled out of my mouth before I could stop them. He leaned down and kissed me softly on the cheek.

"Good night, Amelia," he whispered as he walked out of my bedroom. I stood by the doorway and watched him walk downstairs and stayed there until I heard the back door in the kitchen open and close.

I had just turned around and closed the door behind me when my phone beeped again.

_Don't start playing these games, Millie. I know you're getting my messages._

I laid down on my bed and pulled up my contact list. The phone rang several times before he answered. "When I tell you to call me, I mean right away, not in ten minutes," was how he answered the phone.

"I'm sorry," I said meekly…..


End file.
